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Out of HoursTelephone Number for URGENT Medical Assistance

If you require urgent medical assistance when the surgery is closed please telephone 111.

If you are calling between 8am and 8.30am Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) please call the Emergency Line number 01252 371715 and listen to the complete message.

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As most of our Southwood Practice patients know we hold an annual flu clinic in October; however due to the change in the administration of the vaccine for over 65 year olds' we will NOT be inviting this group to our annual clinic.

We will be arranging separate clinics for this cohort of patients.

The flu vaccine

Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications.

Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy it will usually clear up on its own within a week.

However, flu can be more severe in certain people, such as:

anyone aged 65 and over

pregnant women

children and adults with an underlying health condition (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease)

children and adults with weakened immune systems

Anyone in these risk groups is more likely to develop potentially seriouscomplications of flu, such as pneumonia(a lung infection), so it's recommended that they have a flu vaccine every year to help protect them.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccine is routinely given on the NHS to:

children aged 2 and 3

children in reception class and school years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (this vaccine will be given by the School Nurses)

children aged 2 to 17 years at risk of flu

For 2018, there are 3 types of flu vaccine:

a live quadrivalent vaccine (which protects against 4 strains of flu), given as anasal spray. This is for children and young people aged 2 to 17 years eligible for the flu vaccine

a quadrivalent injected vaccine. This is for adults aged 18 and over but below the age of 65 who are at increased risk from flu because of a long-term health condition and for children 6 months and above in an eligible group who cannot receive the live vaccine

65 and overs and the flu vaccine

You are eligible for the flu vaccine this year (2018/19) if you will be aged 65 and over on March 31 2019 – that is, you were born on or before March 31 1954. So, if you are currently 64 but will be 65 on March 31 2019, you do qualify.

Where to get the flu vaccine

You can have your NHS flu vaccine at:

your GP surgery

a local pharmacy offering the service

your midwifery service if they offer it for pregnant women

Some community pharmacies now offer flu vaccination to adults (but not children) at risk of flu including pregnant women, people aged 65 and over, people with long-term health conditions and carers.

If you have your flu vaccine at a pharmacy, you don't have to inform your GP – it is up to the pharmacist to do that.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus that can cause unpleasant illness in children and severe illness and death among at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition.

Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu. It won't stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you'll be flu-free, but if you do get flu after vaccination it's likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.

There is also evidence to suggest that the flu vaccine can reduce your risk ofhaving a stroke.

Over time, protection from the injected flu vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains often change. So new flu vaccines are produced each year, which is why people advised to have the flu vaccine need it every year too.